Michigan Woodchuckin 2013

[graywolf77]

Picked up another 600 acres this year. Since I retired from Ag, I still keep in contact with my old customers. They are more than agreeable to allow me to hunt chucks and other varmints. This year most of my kills were with my Savage 17HMR and 17 grain Hornady V-Max ammunition. I believe the Savage model I have is their cheapest... black stock and barrel and no Accu-Trigger. It is one of the most accurate right of the box rifles I own. The rest of the chucks were taken with my Savage .204 Ruger with SS barrel and Accu-Trigger. This my long range go to rifle for prairie dogs as well as woodchucks. The 32 grain Hornady V-Max bullets are are awesome out to 400 yards. After being exposed to prairie dog hunting, woodchuck hunting is just plain boring. Oh well, any day of varmint hunting is...well you know the rest!

 

[SidecarFlip]

I own and farm 120 behind the house and contract a couple parcels in the next county but woodhogs are as easy as openoing the sliding door, tippy toeing out on the deck and drilling one or more.

I use a Ruger 223 Target benchrest on the deck rail with a Leupold AO Target scope. 55 grain Vmax in OFMB Federals with 26 grains of 335 and CCI SR benchrest primers, seated to Sammi specs.

I've taken Michigan Deer with it too. Extreme shot placement is no issue. Too bad down here is smoke pole, scattergun, handgun area. I could take deer from the deck too.

 

[markopolo50]

I own and farm 120 behind the house and contract a couple parcels in the next county but woodhogs are as easy as openoing the sliding door, tippy toeing out on the deck and drilling one or more.

I use a Ruger 223 Target benchrest on the deck rail with a Leupold AO Target scope. 55 grain Vmax in OFMB Federals with 26 grains of 335 and CCI SR benchrest primers, seated to Sammi specs.

I've taken Michigan Deer with it too. Extreme shot placement is no issue. Too bad down here is smoke pole, scattergun, handgun area. I could take deer from the deck too.

Yes it is pretty funny we can shoot varmints in the southern half with centerfires but can't hunt deer with them. Oh well, makes me try to get more distance with the muzzleloader or slug gun. Keep those woodchucks in check and coons and skunks and possums, etc. Seen many coyotes?

 

[varmintH8R]

I'm way north of Flip but have a similar "out-the-back" whistle pig set-up. 5 this year which is about average. I switch between my Savage 17hmr and a Cooper 22-250. 50gr Blitzkings drop 'em like popping a balloon. Like some type of Star Trek laser shot. Fun!

 

[SidecarFlip]

Yes it is pretty funny we can shoot varmints in the southern half with centerfires but can't hunt deer with them. Oh well, makes me try to get more distance with the muzzleloader or slug gun. Keep those woodchucks in check and coons and skunks and possums, etc. Seen many coyotes?

We have dogs out back too. Those are wintertime shooters. Get out in the field under a white sheet (with snow on the ground, set up the electronic call and be patient. I have an issue with coons in the haybarn. I usually use my 22 Ruger target pistol with Agulia Hyper Velocity hollowpoints and it usually takes multiple hits to stop them, especially the big ones....lol
Possums are dispatched with my Bond Snakeslayer with a shotshell of number 8. less messy that way. I turn them into a screen door. They tend to come up on the deck and I don't want to destroy the deck with bullets so the birdshot works well.

I'm way north of Flip but have a similar "out-the-back" whistle pig set-up. 5 this year which is about average. I switch between my Savage 17hmr and a Cooper 22-250. 50gr Blitzkings drop 'em like popping a balloon. Like some type of Star Trek laser shot. Fun!

Like a laser beam......lol

Possums die hard, real hard. Thats why I switched to bird shot. I give them a 'fillup' and they trundle off to die out back somewhere.

First time I dispatched a possum it was with a 10-22 and it took 2 magazines (20 rounds) of Agulia's to kill the bugger and it leaked all over the place and my wife was ****ed.

My mom (when she was alive) cooked woodhog and it's good if you know how. I don't .

Last year, I had a woodhog way out back in the access lane, just sitting there. It was a bit far for the 223 so I got out the 308. I shoot 165 grain SGK's in Federal brass with 40 grains of 322. I ranged him at 250 and he dropped like a stone.

He was there and he was gone.....

 

[SidecarFlip]

I'm in a quandry sort of. We own property south of Big Rapids that abutts the Manistee Forest that I usually hunt on opening day on, but this year my attorney has granted 2 of us access to his property just south and east of here and it's filthy with bambi's, like a freeway of hooves.....

So, I could hunt my own land with a centerfire (probably my 308) or I can hunt 10 minutes from the house on private land with the smoke pole or my 44, probably the smoke pole. I have a CVA Accura V2 with the Bergarra barrel and it's a tack driver plus it's tricked up (I can't resist fiddling with guns). I've been loading 100 grains of Blackhorn in a custom machined breechplug with a Barnes TMZ 458 saboted pill. It's shimmed too. Absolutely no blowback from the primer as is the usual from a CVA.

Choices.......

 

[markopolo50]

I would go for the private property, those invites don't come around too often. Keep yours as backup. Show us some pics of that CVA smokepole and more details about that custom breechplug.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Nothing outrageous on the breechplug. I took a Blackhorn optional plug and opened the flashhole up another 0.030, chamfered the exit and entrance end for a larger primer flame path. I also shimmed the pin retainer out from the rear face to where the rifle, when closed, wipes the primer cup face and imparts a sealing effect. Thats a touchy, time consuming operation because too much stickout won't allow the front end to close and too little does nothing. I think I shimmed it out 0.022. I did 2 Accuras at one time.

When you shim the pin retainer, it makes it mandatory that you use the brand (and preferrably the same lot) of primers because every manufacturer makes them in different cup heights. The advantage is, all the flame goes down the flashhole, there is no blowback so the plug stays clean and the breechface stays clean and no erosion that accompanies the blowback. I bought a thousand box of CCI 209's, probably more than I'll need in a lifetime.

Every rifle takes a different amount of stickout, no 2 are alike because the counterbore in the breech face is slightly different in each weapon and the amount of crush you place on the retainer 'o' ring impacts the stickout. I made up a special spade bit so I can apply a set torque figure to the retainer cap and I can take the action down for cleaning and reassemble it with the same crush value.

The downside of shimming the retainer is it's possible to slamfire the rifle if you don't get the retainer stickout just right so CVA don't recommend it for liability reasons.

Was a learnining experience. My reason for enlarging the flashhole was to get a complete burn with the Blackhorn. I was getting a bit of unburned powder even at 100 grains. Now, I'm not.

 

[varmintH8R]

That, sir, is commitment!

Strongly suggest you pop a woodchuck with it